American Language Center to reopen in Syria

DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) — An American language facility in Damascus is reopening its doors following a forced five-month closure, a U.S. Embassy spokeswoman said Saturday, in the latest sign of improving U.S.-Syrian relations after years of animosity.

The American Language Center was shut by Syrian authorities in November along with an American school and a cultural center following a deadly U.S. raid on a village in the north near the Iraqi border.

U.S. officials have said the Oct. 26 raid targeted a top al-Qaida in Iraq militant. Damascus demanded proof, maintaining instead that eight civilians were killed.

The language and cultural centers as well as the school cater to the small American community in the Syrian capital and other foreign residents.

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